Hydrogen-Powered Hypercar Goes From 0 To 60mph In 2.2 Seconds

It’s probably the latter, right? If so, now’s the time to think about it because California-based tech company Hyperion has just unveiled a hydrogen fuel cell-powered hypercar with a 1,000-mile range and a top speed of 221 mph.

There’s no doubt about it; the Hyperion XP-1, which has been in development for almost a decade, sounds pretty darn impressive with its high speeds and even greater range. But according to the company’s CEO, the car itself isn’t a big deal.

Take a look at it in action below:

Instead, it’s simply a way for Hyperion to draw attention to the much more important topic of energy infrastructure, specifically hydrogen. ‘There are enough car companies,’ CEO Angelo Kafantaris told automotive enthusiast magazine Car and Driver. ‘We’re an energy company that’s building this car to tell a story.’

Coming in 2022, the Hyperion XP-1 utilises two large tanks of hydrogen that drive two powerful electric motors as an alternative for the extremely heavy lithium-ion battery packs used for electric vehicles. In this case, less weight means more range and more power.

More advantageous than that though are the environmental benefits reaped from such a vehicle; using hydrogen is incredibly environmentally friendly considering the only byproduct of using it as a fuel is water.

It’s not all positives though, with the main drawback being infrastructure. Most people don’t live anywhere near a hydrogen filling station, making refuelling hydrogen cars an extremely difficult task.

In fact, as of 2018, one report found there were only 39 publicly available hydrogen stations across the entire US, making it an almost impossible task.

Not to worry though, because Hyperion is on a mission to rectify the hydrogen refuelling problem, with Kafantaris stating: ‘You can make hydrogen from excess grid solar power. Creating hydrogen is greener than making batteries.’

The plan, Kafantaris says, is for the company to build out its own hydrogen-fuelling station network similar to Tesla’s Supercharger network, which boasts 12,000 stations in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Except Hyperion won’t need as many stations as Tesla, because the XP-1 offers more than 1,000 miles of range so won’t need charging as often. It also recharges in three to five minutes.

This is just one of the advantages that Kafantaris hopes will help convince the general public that hydrogen is the best battery out there. Another advantage is the safety of the vehicle, with Kafantaris claiming the tanks could be ‘thrown off a building’ or ‘shot with a high-powered rifle’ and they wouldn’t rupture.

However, there’s no doubt getting your hands on the wheels will be expensive; only 300 of the hypercars will ever be made with production starting in 2022.

Yikes.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]